Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates

"What do you mean?"

Zoro asked with a confused look.

Liam calmly explained.

"Kaido and Big Mom have joined forces."

"Hey, hey, are you sure? These two might have some history, but they won't go around, joining forces."

Rayleigh's gaze tightened as he replied.

"It's possible. Both of them want One Piece, and both have Road Poneglyph. Whitebeard is going to war against the Marines. They don't know we will be fighting Marines."

"So, Kaido believes that we will go and find him. He has seen our strength. He is strong but not an idiot. With them joining forces, they will have more than enough strength to go after One Piece."

"With the death of Whitebeard and our supposed demise, only Red Hair Shanks stands in their way, and with their combined forces, they can easily deal with him."

"But if he doesn't join forces, there is a chance that he will lose his land and his crew."

Liam explained.

The first thing he thought after he heard about Germa's action was, 'Who gave them guts?'

Judge was a cruel person, but he wasn't a complete idiot. Of course, he was also naive enough to believe in the words of a pirate like Big Mom.

She would want that piece of technology that Germa had produced.

And with their intelligence support, it wouldn't take them long to figure out everything about the Straw Hat Crew.

Her intelligence control was even higher than the Marines and the World Government due to her control and her children.

But he didn't understand his true motive?

Was it truly just like what she did in the original timeline, or did they have some kind of other plan in their mind?

"Then, what should we do? We have already picked a fight with the Marines and the World government."

Sanji's expression turned ugly as he spoke.

Liam saw his intention and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, we truly have nothing to worry about. They can only target the East Blue until the war. After this war, Garp will retire and return to the East Blue."

"Then, we don't have to worry about anyone troubling our families."

Rayleigh was surprised by this piece of information. He couldn't help but think of Sanji's previous world.

After all, he might not be a scholar, but he had seen the world. He had too many things to understand the hidden meaning behind those words.

'So, did he really come from another dimension, higher than ours? No wonder the Straw Hats grow so quickly. He knows their potential and knows how to tap them.'

'But if he came from the higher dimension, he would be no different than a God. Why would he need to go through so much trouble? And that disappearance and his unwillingness to return.'

'It seems like someone from his dimension learned about his disappearance, and they are trying to pull his soul back to his real body.'

'Once his soul disappears, this body will turn to dust. That's what he said. So, his arrival in this world might not have been voluntary.'

'And since his bond with his crew is so strong, he must have gone through several difficulties together. No wonder he doesn't want to go back now. But his people want him back.'

'Likely, they don't want to disturb our world.'

Thinking about it, his eyes showed a slitted smile as he thought.

'Roger, these children will have greater adventures than we. Want to fight gods as a human? Maybe I can teach them that.'

"Ahem! Although you have someone supporting your family, you shouldn't let your guard down. I know about your next mission. You want to save Ace, right?"

"If you go there, you will encounter the World Government's top forces."

"Five Elder Stars! I know. They will make their presence in this war, just for us. They are the forces we can't defeat now."

Liam nodded his head with a serious expression.

Rayleigh chuckled and said.

"Then, I might be helpful to you. I am not sure about these two, but you and your captain can learn this technique. It will help you against those immortal beings."

"Thank you so much, Rayleigh-san! But, I need to finish the current threat. In the meantime, my captain is recovering. So, you can teach these three together."

Liam nodded towards Rayleigh and bowed his head.

"But, won't it take too long to reach East Blue?"

Rayleigh frowned and asked.

"We have the best ride in the world."

As soon as he said that, Kuma instantly made his appearance. He appeared with the sound of a bubble popping next to him.

Seeing him, Rayleigh's eyes tightened as he said.

"You have a Shichibukai by your side?"

"He is a trustworthy ally and a member of our crew now."

Liam smiled and spoke to him before turning towards Sanji.

"Sanji, Zeff will be just fine. So, don't think too much while training."

Hearing his words, Sanji nodded, but a look of hesitation appeared on his face as he tried to say something.

Liam immediately understood his hesitation and said.

"Don't worry, I won't kill them, but their survival depends on their fate. As for Reiju, I will bring her here. If she wants to stay with us, she can stay here. If not, we can let her leave and find a new life."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"But, I might kill Judge in anger. There are two kinds of people I hate the most. People who cross my bottom line for their goals and people who experiment on children."

"Unfortunately, your father falls in both categories. I will try not to kill him since this would make your brothers even more unrestrained."

Hearing his words, Sanji paused and shook his head.

"Liam, I won't ask you to hold back against them. To be exact, if we didn't have the same mother, I would've killed them myself. At least, they won't be used by that bastard for his goal."

"So, I will not ask you to hold back against them. I just want Reiju to be safe. Try to knock her out first before you do anything against the Vinsmoke Family."

Liam nodded and turned toward Kuma.

"East Blue, Conomi Island!"

Kuma nodded and slapped Liam. The next moment, Liam disappeared.

He also slapped himself and disappeared.

"After Kuma's arrival, our transportation has been quite flexible."

Zoro muttered.

"That's a powerful Devil Fruit. He should've gotten it from there." Rayleigh spoke while reminiscing about that battle.

"You know that island? Oh, I forgot you were one of the crew that participated in that battle."

Sanji turned toward Rayleigh with surprise, but quickly remembered the Roger Pirates' participation in that battle.

"That must have been a legendary battle, right? I mean, with so many powerhouses gathered in the same place. I saw the condition of the Thriller Bark."

"Liam said Moria made it from the remains of God Valley. It's hard to imagine just how big that island was when just a part of it was enough to make the biggest ship in the world."

Zoro also turned toward Rayleigh and asked.

Rayleigh was also surprised by this piece of information.

"So, Moria got his ship from the remains of God Valley. I didn't know that. Most of the island was destroyed after that battle, and since we were pirates, we didn't stay there for long enough."

"But I have a feeling that this Marineford battle will be even greater than ours."

Hearing his words, Zoro replied.

"Of course!"

Rayleigh chuckled and said.

"That's the confidence you need to practice the Advanced form of Conqueror's Haki. But before that, I will help your friend practice his Haki."

"I noticed that his Willpower is strong yet restricted. It's like water being blocked inside the pipe. It has a strong flow, but until you unplug the pipe, it can't flow properly."

"Your friend's situation should be due to his strong emotions affecting his Willpower and his lack of a higher goal."

Hearing that, Law remained silent for a moment. After struggling for a while, he asked.

"Then, if I never have a big dream, will my Haki remain weak?"

Rayleigh laughed.

"Haahahaha! That's not the case. If it were, then I would be weaker than you."

He looked a bit nostalgic as he continued.

"I was just chilling in a pirate ship that I robbed after my house got destroyed. Then, a man wearing a Straw Hat came out of nowhere and told me that my ship was perfect for the seas."

"He said, 'I am Roger. I think we were destined to meet, Rayleigh. Do you want to turn the world upside down with me?"

"That's all I needed to hear. There were some complications, but as we sailed, we began to understand each other. I had goals, no destination, no clear idea of what I was getting into."

"I just went with the waves, and it took me so far ahead of others. So, you don't need a bigger goal. You just need courage. Fighting without plans doesn't make you reckless."

"Sometimes, no plan can be a great plan. So, don't overthink and do your training!"

.............

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